LAGOS, Oct 15(ABC): Quadloop, a Nigerian based company, has found a way to turn electronic waste into solar lanterns and other products which will have a lower impact on the environment. Dozie Igweilo, founder of Quadloop, told Reuters he came up with the idea after discovering a market for affordable, locally produced electrical goods, for which components were not available …

PARIS, Oct 15(ABC): More than five billion of the estimated 16 billion mobile phones possessed worldwide will likely be discarded or stashed away in 2022, experts said Thursday, calling for more recycling of the often hazardous materials they contain. Stacked flat on top of each other, that many disused phones would rise 50,000 kilometres (30,000 miles), more than a hundred …

LONDON, Oct 15(ABC): Britain on Thursday extended the deadline to remove equipment and services from China’s Huawei in core network functions to December 31, 2023, from an original target of Jan. 28, 2023 after consulting with the company and telecoms operators. The government said the deadline to remove all Huawei gear from Britain’s 5G networks remained unchanged.

TOKYO, Oct 15(ABC): Scientists have successfully implanted and integrated human brain cells into newborn rats, creating a new way to study complex psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism, and perhaps eventually test treatments. Studying how these conditions develop is incredibly difficult — animals do not experience them like people, and humans cannot simply be opened up for research. Scientists can …

Oct 13(ABC):Meta Platforms (META.O) unveiled its Quest Pro virtual and mixed reality headset on Tuesday, marking a milestone for Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s break into the higher-end market for extended reality computing devices. The headset, introduced at Meta’s annual Connect conference, will hit shelves on Oct. 25 at a price of $1,500, and will offer consumers a way to interact …

DUBAI, Oct 13(ABC): A “flying car” built by Chinese electronic vehicle maker Xpeng Inc (9868.HK) made its first public flight in the United Arab Emirates, as the company works towards launching the electric aircraft on international markets. The X2 is a two-seater electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that is lifted by eight propellers – two at each corner …

LONDON, Oct 13(ABC): A “robot artist” called Ai-Da told British lawmakers on Tuesday that although it was an artificial creation, it was still capable of producing art, as it spoke at a parliamentary inquiry into how new technologies will affect the creative industries. Described as “the world’s first ultra-realistic AI humanoid robot artist”, it appeared in one of parliament’s ornate …

Oct 13(ABC): Neuroscientists have shown that lab-grown brain cells can learn to play the classic video game Pong, and could be capable of “intelligent and sentient behavior.” Brett Kagan, who led a study published in the journal Neuron Wednesday, told AFP his findings open the door to a new type of research into biological information processors, complementing normal digital computers. …

Oct 13(ABC): Apple will start upgrading its iPhone models in India in December to make them compatible with 5G networks, the company said on Wednesday, as Indian authorities pressed mobile phone manufacturers to adoption the high-speed network. The company said it would push software upgrades to recent models, including the iPhone 14, 13, 12 and iPhone SE, which, industry sources say, do …

Oct 11(ABC): Dubai witnessed a futuristic moment when it carried out its first public flight test of a flying car. The car, eVTOL flying car X2, is a two-seater vehicle. It vertically took off on Tuesday and completed its 90-minute test flight at Skydive Dubai. The historic occasion was attended by top government officials from China and the United Arab Emirates. The two-seater …